


Leap of Faith

by WinterSky101



Series: The Seed of Redemption [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Minor Character Death, Mission Fic, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9636821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/pseuds/WinterSky101
Summary: Kallus had become a rebel in name, but now he was going to become one in deed.





	

There were only three people who ever came to Kallus' cell - Commander Sato, Jarrus, and Zeb. It was, he'd been told, one of the nicer cells on the ship, which he'd gotten by virtue of his cooperation. In reality, it wasn't that much worse than his quarters on the _Relentless_. And, to be honest, the company of three people was more than he ever got in his quarters with the Empire.

And then one day, a tall Togruta woman came to Kallus' cell, and pushed his number of visitors up to four.

"Agent Kallus." The woman sat cross-legged on the bench.

Kallus cautiously sat on his cot, staring at the woman. "Ex-agent," he corrected. "And you are?"

"You know who I am."

Kallus eyed the woman for another long moment. "Ahsoka Tano," he finally stated. "Believed to be the Rebel agent Fulcrum."

"I am Fulcrum, yes," Tano replied. She watched Kallus silently. "I assume I don't need to tell you that a lot of people here don't like you."

"I don't blame them," Kallus replied. He was, after all, responsible for a great many rebel deaths.

"That's part of the reason why Sato is keeping you here," Tano added. "Both because I don't think anyone except Zeb trusts you more than we can throw you, and you're safer in here than you would be out there."

"I thank you for taking so much care my safety," Kallus retorted.

"They won't trust you. Not until you prove yourself."

"And how am I to prove myself when I'm locked in a cell?"

Tano's lips curled into a smile, revealing teeth that looked very sharp. "Would you like to get out, then?"

Kallus forced himself not to react. "Would it be allowed?"

Tano leaned forward, steepling her fingers. "I'm willing. The crew of the Ghost is willing. The question is, are you?"

"What are you willing to do?" Kallus countered.

"The Inquisitors seem to be able to find us far too easily," Tano stated. Kallus took "us" to mean Jarrus and Bridger. "We're thinking it might be a good idea to take the fight to them. But we need intel first."

"And you want me to give that to you," Kallus finished. "I'm afraid that's not possible. The Inquisitor program was always on a need-to-know basis, and I never needed to know."

"We didn't think you'd have the intel," Tano replied. "We want you to get us access to Imperial files."

Kallus pressed his lips together. "The Empire will have rescinded all of my access to their files."

"Are you telling me you don't have any other way to access them?" Tano asked, arching one of her facial markings.

Kallus leaned forward. "And what do I get if I do?"

"You said you wanted to join the Rebellion," Tano replied. "This is what we do. The medical reports say your leg is healed enough that you can go on a mission with us. If you want to get out of this cell any time soon, this is your best option."

Kallus leaned back. Tano showed no hints of emotion on her face as she watched him think. On the one hand, this would be incredibly dangerous. But Kallus _had_ said he would join the Rebellion, and he did want to leave his cell.

"Alright. I'll do it. But there are some things I'll need."

Tano stood. "I'll see that you get them. Here." She tossed him a datapad, which seemed to fall in a much more controlled arc than it should have. "Write whatever you need on here. Kanan and I will come later to discuss details."

"Did you tell him to come before you asked me?" Kallus asked. "You didn't know if I would say yes."

Tano's smile was distinctly unnerving. "Who says I didn't?" she replied, and she left the cell. Kallus watched the door close, then he looked down at the datapad.

Well, he'd committed himself to this, so he might as well follow through. Kallus picked up the datapad and began to write.

* * *

"We're working with Kallus _again_?"

Kanan groaned. "Ezra, we've gone over this."

"But it's Kallus!" Ezra protested. "We can't trust him!"

"I think he's shown that we can," Kanan retorted. "And we need to get a leg up on the Empire."

"He's agreed," Ahsoka stated, walking in. "He's got a datapad and he's writing down what we'll need."

"I thought we weren't giving him datapads," Ezra muttered stubbornly.

"He's going to help us," Kanan stated. "We're working with him, Ezra, whether you like it or not. You know we need to make sure the Inquisitors can't find us any more."

"The question is, are we bringing the rest of your crew on in this?" Ahsoka asked, crossing her arms. "I know you don't want to put them in danger, but I don't know if we're going to be able to do this without them."

"It's not like they're not in danger anyway," Ezra grumbled. It was an argument they'd already had twice. "We're all in danger, Kanan!"

"I don't want to put them in the Inquisitors' way more than we have to," Kanan retorted. "They're dangerous, Ezra."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Ezra retorted sarcastically. "So is the Empire, and we go against them every day!"

"Hera will be furious if you leave her behind," Ahsoka added, leaning against the wall. "Ezra and I will tell her it's all your fault."

"And what if she comes and gets hurt?" Kanan retorted.

"What if she goes on a mission against the Empire and gets hurt?" Ezra retorted. "What if she trips on one of Sabine's paint cans and gets hurt? You're being stupid, Kanan."

"He's got a point," Ahsoka agreed. "Not about the stupid part, necessarily, but about the other part. Hera's a big girl, Kanan. She can take care of herself."

"Yes, I can." Hera marched into the room, looking furious. "Of course I'm coming with you, Kanan! How could you think that I'd let you leave me behind?"

"You're not getting rid of us that easily," Sabine added, stepping up next to Hera.

"You're stuck with us," Zeb added, planting himself on Hera's other side.

"See!" Ezra jabbed a finger towards them. "They want to help!"

"I think you're outnumbered," Ahsoka murmured, sounding amused. "It'll be alright, Kanan."

"I don't like it," Kanan muttered mulishly.

"You don't have to like it," Hera replied. "It's happening either way." She leaned forward, bracing herself on the table. "What's the plan?"

"Kallus is helping, isn't he?" Zeb added.

"Unfortunately," Ezra muttered.

"We need a way into the Imperial files," Ahsoka stated. "And our best chance of that is Kallus. He seems certain he can do it."

"Are we sure this isn't a trap?" Sabine asked.

"It would be a pretty extensive trap," Hera replied doubtfully.

"Kallus is smart," Kanan countered. Hera gave him a dirty look and he threw up his hands. "Just saying."

"I don't think it's a trap," Zeb put in.

"Yeah, well, you love him," Ezra shot back. Zeb rolled his eyes.

"It would be a risky plan," Hera added. "I don't think Kallus is the type to take that many risks."

"Even if it is a trap, do we have a choice?" Ahsoka asked. Her voice was soft but cut through the discussion with ease. "We need this intel. If we have a chance to get it, we need to take that chance." Her smile was feral. "We are the type to take that many risks, after all."

"Should we go see if Kallus' list is ready?" Kanan asked.

"Kallus is making a list?" Sabine asked.

"Apparently he needs a few things if he's going to get into the Imperial files," Ahsoka explained. "Hopefully it's nothing we can't provide."

"Go talk to him," Hera stated. "I'll get the Ghost ready to fly. And I can talk to Sato about any recently captured Imperial vessels. We might be able to use one to sneak in undetected."

"I am glad you're coming," Kanan told Hera in an undertone.

She gave him a dirty look. "Don't think you're getting away with this," she retorted. "You and I are having words later."

"Hera can be a little scary," Ahsoka remarked a few minutes later as she and Kanan walked down the hall towards Kallus' cell.

"You have no idea."

Kallus was doing some sort of stretches in his cell when Kanan and Ahsoka stepped inside. "The datapad is on the cot," he said, not bothering to stop. "The most important things are at the top of the list."

Ahsoka scooped up the datapad and began scanning the list. Kanan watched Kallus' stretches with interest. "Those almost look like katas," he remarked, watching Kallus' fluid movements.

"I don't have many other ways to exercise," Kallus replied, breathing deeply as he stretched. After another moment, he sat on the floor, folding his legs under him. He winced slightly and stretched out his newly-healed leg, massaging the spot where Kanan knew the break had been.

"Are you sure you're ready to go out into the field?"

"Commander Tano says the medical reports claim I am," Kallus replied.

"I haven't been a commander in a long time," Ahsoka remarked. She sat down next to Kallus on the floor. Kanan joined them.

"Once a soldier, always a soldier," Kallus replied, his face utterly unreadable.

Ahsoka held up the datapad. "Most of this will be easy to get, but the ship will be hard to get our hands on," she remarked. "You're sure it can't just be any ship that we use?"

"It has to be at least a light cruiser, but a Star Destroyer would be best," Kallus replied. "Anything less than that wouldn't have access to the right data centers."

"And how exactly do you plan to get into those data centers?" Kanan countered. "Are you sure your codes will work?"

"I made a point to collect information while I was in the Empire," Kallus stated, his voice carefully neutral. "I know the access codes for half a dozen superior officers. One of the might suspect I know his, but the others don't."

"And those codes will get us into the files about the Inquisitors?" Ahsoka asked.

"Konstantine's will," Kallus replied. "He's an Admiral, he's currently working with the Inquisitors, and he has no idea that I know his codes."

"Will it get you access to all the intel we need?" Kanan asked.

There was something almost feral in Kallus' eyes. "Between myself and your droid, I think we'll be able to find any information that there is. Once we have a way in, it shouldn't be too difficult to push through." Kallus looked from Kanan to Ahsoka. "This will only work once. They Empire will know what we've done, and they'll reassign new codes to everyone. Any information you want me to find, I'll need to find it now."

Kanan looked over at Ahsoka. She was nodding. If Kanan thought Kallus looked feral, Ahsoka was ten times that. "Then we'll need to make sure we make this count."

* * *

Kallus was acting a little twitchy.

Zeb supposed he couldn't blame him. Half of the rebels they'd passed had looked at him with suspicion, and the other half had looked at him with outright hatred. His face looked emotionless, but Zeb could see the way his eyes flickered around. It reminded him of how Kallus would look whenever he woke up a little too quickly to be entirely natural. He never said a word about his nightmares, but Zeb knew he had them.

Well, Zeb supposed, he could join the club.

"Agent Kallus," Sato stated as they entered the command room.

"Ex-agent," Kallus corrected.

"I am glad to hear you have agreed to help us in this endeavor," Sato continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I have been told of your plans. It is our belief that the best ship for you to infiltrate is this one."

An image of a Star Destroyer appeared. Zeb could never tell the difference between all of the different admirals' ships, but Kallus' eyes widened just the slightest bit. "The _Relentless_?" he said, only a tinge of shock in his voice. "That's an _Imperial I_ -class Star Destroyer. We can get the information off a less important ship. Going for the _Relentless_ is an unnecessary risk."

"The _Relentless_ is scheduled for repairs in four days," Hera stated, leaning forward on the console. She changed the image to a plan of an Imperial shipyard. "All of our intel suggests that security will be low during that time."

"Security on board the actual ship will be lower than usual, yes, but the shipyard will be well-guarded," Kallus retorted. "And they won't allow just anyone on board the ship."

"We have stormtrooper armor," Kanan suggested.

Kallus shook his head. "But do you have the proper identification numbers? Do you know the proper protocol? Very few people will be boarding the _Relentless_ while it's undergoing repairs, and practically none of them will be stormtroopers. This is one time when stormtroopers will not be overlooked. Your disguise will only make you more conspicuous."

"Then what do you recommend?" Sato asked.

Zeb looked at the way Kallus stood, most of his weight still on his left leg. He looked at his face, carefully neutral. He looked at his hands, clenched in fists at his sides.

Slowly, the fists unclenched. "The only people to get on the ship with any sort of frequency will be the repair crew," Kallus stated. "The repairmen who work in the engine rooms wear full-body protection suits. They would cover our faces."

"And once we're on the ship?" Hera asked.

"With Konstantine's access codes, I could trigger a lockdown of the ship. It would prevent anyone from getting onboard, and it would lock all of the blast doors. No one would be able to get to the bridge."

"And could you reverse it so we could get out?" Kanan asked.

"Konstantine's codes could reverse it as well," Kallus replied. "Which means that he could reverse it, if he were at the shipyard. It's not infallible."

"Our plans never are," Ahsoka replied. She took a step forward. "It's good enough."

"And how will we get to the shipyard undetected?" Kallus asked. "The Ghost is a well known rebel ship."

"We've captured four Imperial ships recently," Hera replied. "We can use one of those to get to the shipyard."

"If we pretend it's damaged, would we be able to land without too much trouble?" Kanan asked.

Kallus frowned. "It would be best if it were actually damaged. Not enough to truly compromise it, of course, but there should be something to repair. We'll be there too long for it not to be noticed if the ship is actually in perfect condition."

"Alright." Hera nodded. "Anything else we should know?"

Kallus looked a bit uncomfortable. His eyes flickered from Hera to Ahsoka to Zeb, then back at the plan of the shipyard. "All of the workers will be human. Non-humans would be… conspicuous."

"We're not staying behind," Hera stated sharply.

"We won't," Ahsoka stated. "The four of you will go in as repairmen." She nodded at Kallus, Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine. "And the three of us" - she gestured at herself, Hera, and Zeb - "will be the backup in case something goes wrong."

" _When_ something goes wrong," Ezra muttered under his breath.

"We'll have to run once we get the information," Kallus warned. "It'll be best if we have a ship waiting to pick us up, immediately. We'll probably have to leave the ship we flew in with."

"We can leave them a little gift in the ship," Sabine offered, her smile showing far too much teeth.

"We shouldn't hurt any of the repairmen," Kallus retorted, his voice cold. "They're conscripted by the Empire and forced to work at the shipyards. They're not your enemies."

Sabine blinked. Zeb eyed Kallus curiously. He wouldn't have thought Kallus would be the type to worry about innocent bystanders.

"We'll try our best," Hera said. She sounded a little surprised too.

Kallus nodded once, sharply. "Good."

"How will we get from landing the ship to disguising ourselves as repairmen?" Ezra asked.

"We can use that stormtrooper armor," Kallus replied. "We'll change into the uniforms as quickly as we can, but there will be enough troopers at the shipyard that we won't be noticed."

"What do we do if we are?" Sabine asked, frowning. "There aren't girl stormtroopers, are there?"

"I bet you could talk in a manly voice," Ezra teased.

"Shut up," Sabine retorted, elbowing him.

"Just don't talk," Kanan suggested.

"If we're noticed, let me handle it," Kallus stated. "I know the most about Imperial protocol."

"Yeah, that would mean we'd have to trust you not to give us up," Ezra countered. "Which we don't."

Kanan ignored him. "Can you teach us some of that Imperial protocol?"

Kallus nodded. "It would be good for you to know it."

"Why are we trusting him so much?" Ezra demanded.

"Again, Ezra?" Zeb muttered. This had to be the fourth time that day alone.

"You have no reason to trust me," Kallus agreed. "But you won't be able to succeed in this mission without me."

"Not really making me trust you," Ezra retorted.

"Ezra, do we have to do this now?" Kanan groaned.

"We're working with Kallus," Ahsoka stated. Her voice left no room for argument. "I understand that you don't trust him, Ezra, and I understand why, but you're going to have to trust me on this one."

"I trust you," Ezra told Ahsoka quickly.

"Then trust me when I say Kallus is not going to betray us."

Ezra made a face, but he nodded once. He didn't look happy to do it.

"How did you do that?" Kanan cried, looking from Ahsoka to Ezra with wide eyes. "Can you teach me?"

"I can look over the plans you have of the shipyard," Kallus told Sato. "I've been there on a few occasions, and I can figure out a few escape routes."

"I'll have it sent to your datapad," Sato replied. "We have a few more days to plan. The repairs aren't for another four days."

"They'll probably last for two, unless something is seriously wrong," Kallus replied. There was a slight furrow to his brow. "We should aim to be there on the first day. Sometimes repairs are cut short if the ship is needed and the repairs aren't desperate."

"We'll be sure to get there early, then," Sato replied. "Is there anything else you need?"

Kallus raised a hand and rubbed at his sideburns. "Would you allow me a razor?"

* * *

Kallus looked strange without his sideburns. Kanan kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. The sideburns were distinctive, of course, and they had to be shaved if Kallus wasn't going to be recognized in an instant, but Kanan still thought it was weird to see him without them.

Given how much Kallus kept rubbing at his face and frowning, he wasn't used to the sideburns being gone either.

"So." Ezra was determined to be undisturbed by Kallus' shave, but Kanan had caught him doing at least three double-takes so far. "We're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"You know the plan, Ezra," Kanan replied in voice that did nothing to hide his exhaustion. "We all know the plan, right?"

"We know the plan," Sabine repeated obediently, sounding as if she were bored to death. "We've only gone over it every five minutes for the past few days."

"Kallus," Kanan called. Kallus looked up from his datapad. His bare cheeks were still strange. "You know the plan?"

"I came up with the plan," Kallus retorted dryly, looking down at the datapad again.

"What are you looking at?" Ezra asked suspiciously.

"Plans for the shipyard," Kallus replied. "I'm trying to figure out another possible escape route, in case something goes wrong."

"There's such a thing as being overly prepared, you know," Sabine remarked. "That's how many escape routes now, seven?"

"I will not underestimate the Empire," Kallus replied simply, frowning slightly at the screen. "I'd like to get out of this mission alive."

"We'll get out of it alive," Kanan replied in a confident voice. Kallus scoffed and continued to pore over his datapad.

"Although it wouldn't be too big a tragedy if you didn't," Ezra added under his breath.

"Ezra!" Kanan scolded.

"This is hardly the first time your little pup has bared his teeth at me," Kallus dismissed. "He's yet to bite, so I don't mind too much."

"I know you don't trust him, but we're all on the same side," Kanan told Ezra sharply, ignoring Kallus. "Can you at least work with him for the next couple of days?"

"I'm not making any promises," Ezra muttered, scowling.

" _Ezra_."

"Fine!" Ezra huffed. "Fine. If he doesn't betray us, I'll put up with him."

"I have no intention to betray you," Kallus called, still not looking up from his datapad. "And I've planned nine escape routes now, Miss Wren."

"Definitely overly prepared," Sabine muttered.

"Better than underprepared, and that's what we normally are," Kanan replied. "We know Imperial protocol, we have someone with us who knows the shipyard, and we can get into the Imperial databanks. This isn't one of our worst missions."

"We have done much worse missions," Sabine agreed.

"Your planning is abysmal, so I'm not surprised," Kallus remarked absently.

"You know what-"

"Ezra!"

"Fighting, are we?" Ahsoka asked, stepping into the room. "Save that fire for the Empire, Ezra."

"Has Hera got the ship ready?" Kanan asked.

"She has," Ahsoka agreed. "Although I think she wants to do a bit more tinkering before you leave tomorrow."

"She always does," Kanan replied fondly.

"Why can't you go with us instead of Kallus?" Ezra whined.

"There aren't any non-humans at the shipyard, I told you that," Kallus stated for what had to be the twentieth time.

"Well, just because you're speciesist-"

"I don't think any more of the Empire's hiring choices than you do," Ahsoka told Ezra. "But if we want to stay undercover, we should try to blend in. If there aren't any non-humans, a Togruta like me isn't going to blend in very well."

"Fine," Ezra grumbled. "But I don't like it."

"Seriously, how do you do that?" Kanan demanded.

"Everyone is ready to go tomorrow, right?" Ahsoka asked. She looked over at Kallus, who was still bent over his datapad. "I don't expect people to get along, but can you all at least promise that you won't kill each other?"

"I have no intention of killing anyone on this mission," Kallus replied.

"I won't kill anyone on our side," Ezra added, shooting Kallus a nasty look.

"Try again," Kanan stated dryly.

"I won't kill Kallus," Ezra said begrudgingly. "Unless I have to."

"Ezra…"

"Fine! I'll just let him betray us and kill us all."

"Good luck," Ahsoka told Kanan, grinning.

Kanan groaned. "I'm gonna need it."

* * *

"This suit is so uncomfortable!" Wren complained. "How do you guys wear these all the time?"

"They're not that bad once you get used to them," Bridger replied, shifting his breastplate a bit.

"We're going to make our descent soon," Jarrus called. "You two ready?"

Kallus blocked out the sound of the rebels and focused on bringing the ship down in a barely controlled descent. It wasn't badly damaged, but the worse it looked, the more sympathy the shipyard workers would have. Kallus knew that unannounced arrivals were frowned upon. He'd been on both sides of it before. But the Empire wouldn't sacrifice ships because of logistics. Kallus just had to make their arrival look desperate enough, and they'd get through.

 _"Shuttle, you are not on our schedule,"_ an Imperial officer stated. _"Why are you requesting permission to land?"_

"We have severe damage to the engines," Kallus replied, mimicking Jarrus' accent the best he could. It wasn't perfect, but it was different enough from his normal accent that he didn't think his voice was recognizable. "We're requesting permission to land and do repairs on the ship. It won't get us much farther."

 _"We'll need credentials before we can allow anything,"_ the officer replied.

Jarrus looked over at Kallus, then pressed a button. "Sending credentials now," Kallus reported. He hoped that whatever the rebels had stolen would get them through.

 _"Your credentials check out,"_ the officer stated after a tense minute. Kallus let out a sigh of relief. _"Permission to land."_

"Thank you, sir," Kallus replied, shutting off the comms.

"So we're in?" Wren asked. She had stopped wriggling around in her suit, but her posture was still off.

"This was the easy part," Kallus warned. "Stand up straight."

"Like this?" Wren stood ramrod straight, her feet shoulder-width apart, her arms behind her back.

"That's how an Imperial cadet would stand," Kallus corrected. Of course, Wren had been a cadet once, so she would know that. "This is how a stormtrooper stands." Kallus stood, affecting the posture the stormtroopers held. He was straight, but not stiff, ready to leap into action at a second's notice.

Wren studied him, then adopted the same posture. "Like this?"

"Exactly," Kallus agreed. "Remember, let me do the talking."

The ship's landing was purposefully rocky. Kallus marched off like a perfect trooper, saluting to the official who came to greet them.

"What sort of engine trouble are you experiencing?" the officer asked. Kallus recognized him as the same man who had given them permission to land.

"Intermittent failures," Kallus replied. "It'll require a complete rehaul, but we can patch it up ourselves. Hopefully it'll get us to the nearest Star Destroyer."

"We can do the rehaul here," the officer offered.

Kallus grinned underneath his helmet. Once a damaged ship landed at a shipyard, it was protocol to fix it, even if it wasn't scheduled. Of course, that wasn't common knowledge, but Kallus wasn't a common Imperial agent.

"Thank you, sir." Kallus snapped a salute. "Is there anywhere my men and I can freshen up? We've been onboard that ship for two days."

"You can take the shuttle to the main building." The officer gestured at a small shuttle. "You can freshen up there."

"Thank you, sir," Kallus repeated. He raised a hand. Jarrus, Wren, and Bridger marched off the ship.

"I'll alert you when your ship is repaired," the officer added. "It shouldn't take more than a standard day."

"Thank you, sir," Kallus stated for the third time. It was best for the officer to dismiss him as another stupid stormtrooper. Judging by the way the officer's eyes slid past him, he had.

"This way," Kallus told the others. "We can freshen up in the main building."

"Ugh, about time," Bridger groaned. Kallus wished his glare were more visible through the helmet. Stormtroopers talked amongst themselves, yes, but never in front of a superior officer, and never like that.

But superior officers never paid attention to what stormtroopers had to say anyway, so no one seemed to notice Bridger's slip. They reached the shuttle without a problem and clambered on board.

"The _Relentless_ will be here," Kallus stated, pointing to a spot on a conveniently-placed map of the shipyard. "This shuttle only goes back and forth to the main building, however, and can't take us straight to it."

"So we go to the main building, and then we go to the _Relentless_ ," Jarrus replied. "We need to get our hands on the workmen's uniforms anyway."

"We should be able to get those in the main building," Kallus replied. "It won't be difficult."

"Hera's in place," Wren put in, holding up a communicator. "She'll be ready to pick us up whenever we need her."

"And they're ready to make a distraction if we need it?" Jarrus asked.

"Hera's always ready for a distraction," Wren agreed.

"Chopper's in place," Bridger added. Why the droid hadn't gone with them in the shuttle, Kallus still didn't understand, but the rebels had snuck him onto the shipyard a day early instead. Kallus thought it was an unnecessary risk, but as long as the droid got to the _Relentless_ on time, everything would work.

The shuttle approached the main building. "When we get off, follow me, and don't say anything," Kallus hissed. The doors slid open before any of the others could agree, but they all fell in line behind him when he stepped off.

Slipping away to one of the locker rooms was simple enough. "Alright," Kallus stated, putting an override code into the door and locking it. "Get into a suit. Leave the armor here."

"Thank the Force," Wren groaned, pulling her helmet off. "This thing is so uncomfortable!"

"I don't know that the new suits will be any better," Jarrus countered, holding one up with a dubious look. "Where are the helmets?"

"Here." Kallus tossed him one. Jarrus caught it with ease. "They're not perfect, but they'll cover enough of our faces that we shouldn't be recognized."

"And that override code won't attract attention, will it?" Jarrus asked, gesturing at the door.

"It shouldn't," Kallus replied, pulling off the stormtrooper armor. He redressed quickly, as did the others. Wren looked only marginally less uncomfortable.

"Is Chopper ready?" Jarrus asked.

Bridger looked down at his communicator. "Yup. Should we go?"

Kallus released the override and opened the door. "Follow me."

The shuttle that took them closest to the _Relentless_ was empty, thankfully. The four of them piled in and Kallus set the route so the shuttle would stop at the right spot. They were all silent as the shuttle sped along. Bridger bounced on the balls of his feet. Jarrus, in contrast, was almost entirely still.

"This way," Kallus stated when they got off the shuttle. The _Relentless_ looked unbelievably huge on the ground. When in space, it could be easy to forget just how big a Star Destroyer actually was. But once the ship landed, it was impossible not to stare.

Security was lax enough that it was easy to shuffle onboard. Chopper was already on the ship, his Imperial paint-job clearly fresh, and rolled over towards them as they entered.

"Hey, buddy," Bridger told him quietly. "You okay?"

"This way to the bridge," Kallus murmured, walking at a steady, measured pace. If he walked too fast or too slow, he would look suspicious. The trick was to walk as if you were going somewhere you had every right to be.

"This is too easy," Bridger muttered as they reached the bridge, which was thankfully empty.

"Maybe this is what happens when we actually plan," Wren remarked.

"Can you lock the ship down now?" Jarrus asked.

Kallus crossed to the main terminal. He put in the code quickly, breathed a silent sigh of relief when it worked, and pressed the button. With loud _thumps_ , the blast doors all closed. Kallus knew they were doing the same thing throughout the entire ship. It wouldn't work forever, but it would keep anyone from getting to them for a while.

"Perfect." Jarrus nodded. "Now, put Konstantine's codes in and Chopper will do the rest."

Chopper let out a string of beeps and whistles. Kallus still couldn't understand any of what the droid said, but he always assumed it was something insulting. He ignored it and put in the codes, unlocking the data they needed.

"How much can your droid save?" he asked.

Jarrus shrugged. "How much is there?"

"Quite a bit," Kallus replied, looking over the data stores he'd just unlocked. "More than I expected, actually. Konstantine apparently has access to a lot of information."

"Chopper, copy down everything you can. Put priority on anything related to the Inquisitors or to us," Jarrus instructed. The droid beeped at him - it sounded distinctly rude, in Kallus' opinion - and began to copy the data.

At first, it seemed as if things would go according to plan. Kallus dared to believe that perhaps they could get out of there without any trouble.

And then the main terminal began to beep.

"What does that mean?" Wren asked, frowning at it.

"It means Konstantine is here," Kallus replied sharply, going to the terminal. "He's undoing the lockdown."

Bridger looked furious. "You said-"

"Konstantine's codes can trigger the lockdown and undo it," Kallus snapped. "Konstantine is undoing it right now. We still have the advantage. He can only open the blast doors one at a time, as he reaches them."

"How long before he gets here?" Jarrus asked.

Kallus shrugged. "A few minutes. We should get out of here."

"Chopper, are you done with those files?" Jarrus demanded. The droid burbled out what sounded like a negative.

"We can't stay until it's finished!" Kallus protested.

"You said we'll only get one chance at this," Jarrus retorted. "The rebellion needs this information!"

"And they won't get it if we all die here!" Kallus snapped.

"We're not leaving until Chopper is finished," Jarrus stated, crossing his arms.

"Will any of your escape plans work?" Wren asked.

Kallus frowned, thinking. He'd thought they'd have more time, and he'd thought the others would be more rational. But… "One of them might."

Wren grinned. "How does it work?"

The plan was, of course, the one that Kallus had least wanted to implement, but it appeared he had little choice. "We need to split up," he stated. "I'll undo the lockdown. Jarrus, go with your droid and get it to the ship. The rest of us will try to distract Konstantine for long enough for you to get away."

"Not happening," Jarrus immediately stated. "I'm not leaving you guys behind."

Kallus scowled. "If you want to get that data-"

"I want to get the data _and_ you three back to the rebellion!" Jarrus shouted. "Come up with another plan, Kallus, because we're not doing that one."

"Is there another way off the _Relentless_?" Wren asked. "A back door?"

"With the ship in the condition it's in, the hanger where we entered will be the only way in or out," Kallus replied. "But we can take an alternative route there and hope that we don't run into Konstantine or any of his men."

The droid beeped triumphantly. "Chopper's done," Bridger translated.

"Can you undo the lockdown only on the doors we want to use?" Jarrus asked.

"I'll have to do it individually at each door," Kallus replied. "But yes, I can."

"We should all get ready to run," Wren remarked dryly. "Given how our missions normally go once we reach this point."

"Everyone ready?" Jarrus asked. "Kallus-"

"If you betray us-" Bridger began, but Jarrus ignored him.

"Let's go."

Kallus put the code into one of the doors to the bridge. It opened silently. "Go right," he hissed. Bridger opened his mouth as if to complain, but Jarrus grabbed his arm and dragged him away. Once everyone had gone through, Kallus relocked the door and ran after them. Already, his leg was beginning to protest. If there was much more running, he might have to reevaluate his plans.

The next door opened without a hitch, and the one after that too. And then Kallus went to open a door only for it to open from the other side first.

"Agent Kallus?" Konstantine asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ex-agent," Kallus corrected, and he shot him.

* * *

Zeb was itching to do _something_. He could tell that Hera felt the same way, and he had a feeling that Ahsoka did too. "This is taking longer than it should."

"We have to give them time," Hera replied. "They haven't commed us, so we have to assume things are going well."

"Ezra and Kanan are alive," Ahsoka added. Zeb supposed that was better than nothing, although he'd prefer to know that they were alive and well and still free from the Empire.

Suddenly, Hera pulled the Ghost into a dive. Zeb grabbed the chair in front of him to keep from falling over. "Hera, what-"

"Look down there," Hera stated, pointing to the _Relentless_. If Zeb looked closely, he could see a small group of people running out of the ship, firing behind them as they went.

Well, the odds that they'd just found Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, and Kallus seemed pretty good.

"Give them a distraction," Ahsoka stated. "I'll go open the hatch to get them onboard."

"Zeb, give me a hand?" Hera asked. Zeb ran up to the gun immediately. "Fire at will," Hera called.

Zeb didn't need to be told twice.

The Ghost did some major damage to the _Relentless_ and the shipyard in general while the others hurried onboard. "Go!" Ahsoka yelled when they were all on the ship, and Hera tore off as quickly as the Ghost possibly could. Zeb ran to the cargo bay to see how the mission had gone.

Kallus was leaning heavily on Kanan, his face twisted in pain, but Zeb couldn't see any injuries on him. "Whoever said I was ready for missions clearly has no idea how much running your missions seem to entail," Kallus told Ahsoka wryly.

"Let's get you to the med bay," Kanan told Kallus. "You could definitely use a painkiller."

"I'm _fine_ ," Kallus retorted with a scowl, but he was barely supporting any of his own weight and trembling. He didn't fight Kanan when he began to walk to the med bay.

"Did you get the data?" Ahsoka asked.

Chopper beeped out something distinctly triumphant. "Chopper managed to copy everything that was available," Ezra translated. "And there was a lot on the Inquisitors."

"And no one was hurt?" Zeb asked.

"No one except Admiral Konstantine," Sabine said with relish.

"Kallus shot him," Ezra explained eagerly. It was, as far as Zeb could remember, the first time Ezra had mentioned Kallus without disgust on his face.

"It was so cool," Sabine added. "Konstantine opened the door and said 'Agent Kallus?' and Kallus said-"

"'Ex-agent,'" Ezra and Sabine said in unison in equally horrible impressions of Kallus.

"And then he shot him," Ezra finished. "The stormtroopers were so shocked that he managed to close the blast door back up before they started firing. They caught up with us later, but it gave us a head start."

"So are you convinced that he's not going to betray us?" Ahsoka asked, one of her facial markings arching upwards as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Ezra, wonder of wonders, actually looked down as if he were embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Sounds like it was a very exciting mission," Hera remarked from the door of the cargo bay. "Chop, come on, let's get that paint off you. Where's Kanan?"

"In the med bay with Kallus," Sabine explained. "There was a lot of running."

"I'm gonna go check on them," Zeb added.

"Tell Kanan to meet me on the bridge," Hera replied.

"I will," Zeb agreed, starting towards the med bay. When he passed his room, he considered grabbing Kallus' bo-rifle, but ultimately decided that he should probably talk to the others before giving it back to him. He had no doubt that Kallus deserved that much trust, but he should probably clear it with Sato first.

As Zeb got closer to the med bay, he could hear Kallus and Kanan bickering, but it sounded remarkably good-natured. "All of your escape plans, and there were only two where you made it out?" Kanan sighed. "Did you really think we were just going to leave you there?"

"I had forgotten how ridiculously sentimental you rebels can be," Kallus replied, but he sounded almost fond as he said it.

"You're one of us rebels now," Kanan warned. "And we don't leave people behind."

"I should have known better than to expect you would do the practical thing," Kallus retorted, a distinctly teasing note in his voice.

"Hey, Kanan." Zeb walked into the med bay, judging this to be a good time to interrupt the conversation. He noticed the used perigen patch next to the cot with relief. If anyone needed a painkiller, it was Kallus. "Hera wants to see you on the bridge."

"Keep an eye on Kallus, would you?" Kanan asked Zeb as he went to leave the med bay. "He should really keep off his leg, but he'll probably say he's fine."

"I _am_ fine," Kallus retorted, but he didn't move to get off the cot.

"Are not," Kanan replied as he left.

Zeb got the impression that it took a lot of effort on Kallus' part not to yell "am too!" down the hall.

"You don't look fine," Zeb remarked.

"Oh, not you too," Kallus groaned. "I'm _fine_. There was just more running than I'd thought there would be."

Zeb sat down on one of the chairs. "The kids say you shot Konstantine."

"I had the opportunity, I took it," Kallus replied.

Zeb's eyes narrowed slightly. "You okay?"

Kallus looked honestly confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…" Zeb shifted slightly. "He was your friend, wasn't he?"

Kallus scoffed. "ISB agents don't have friends. And nor do Imperial admirals. We were coworkers, and we were somewhat amicable, perhaps, but we were not friends by any stretch of the imagination."

"So you never had a…" Zeb let his voice trail off. To actually say it - never mind the fact that Kallus just had - seemed rude.

"A friend?" Kallus finished. "Not since I was a child."

"You do now," Zeb retorted, the words perhaps a bit more forceful than they had to be. "You know that, right?"

Kallus looked down at his hands for a moment, then back up at Zeb. For a second, Zeb thought he was smiling, but there was no hint of it on his face a moment later.

"I do."

* * *

"So." Tano's arms were crossed over her chest, but she didn't look disapproving. On the contrary, a hint of a smile was playing around her lips. "What do you think of your new quarters?"

"It's better than anything I had with the Empire," Kallus replied honestly. The room was tiny, barely bigger than a supply closet, but it had a bed and storage for his things (not that he had much besides the meteor, which was already on the shelf) and it was _his_.

"Zeb left something here for you," Tano added, gesturing at the corner of the room.

Kallus turned to see his bo-rifle propped up against the wall. "I'm allowed my weapon?"

"You had a blaster at the shipyard, didn't you?" Tano countered. "And you used it to shoot Admiral Konstantine. Zeb thought that meant you should get your bo-rifle back, and Sato agreed."

Kallus picked up the rifle slowly, almost reverently. It was the best blaster he'd ever used, but he'd never expected to get it back.

"If you walked around armed, you wouldn't exactly be the only one," Tano offered.

"As if I don't get enough suspicious looks already," Kallus retorted, setting the bo-rifle back against the wall.

Tano shrugged. "Everyone already knows that you shot Konstantine. And the fact that you even have _Ezra_ convinced that you're not about to massacre all of us is definitely a point in your favor."

"The boy isn't a complete idiot, then," Kallus replied. He'd never admit to anyone that he actually thought of the Ghost crew fondly. The mission at the shipyard had bonded them in a way he'd never expected. As he'd told Zeb, he had friends now. He and Kanan - after all they'd gone through together, calling him by his last name seemed too impersonal - were friends, he thought, and Zeb was his friend too, of course, and he was friendly with the rest of the crew. It wasn't an outcome he'd ever anticipated, but no one that he regretted either.

"I think the others are waiting for you at the Ghost," Tano added. "To celebrate you being an actual rebel now."

"Are they?" Kallus asked. "We shouldn't leave them waiting, then."

"Take your rifle with you," Tano suggested. When Kallus hesitated, she added, "We both know you want to, and there's no reason why not to. And considering how the crew of the Ghost can be, we might end up on a mission halfway through their little party."

"Fine." Kallus grabbed his bo-rifle and slung it over his back. The weight of it was instantly familiar. His gait was different than it used to be, with his newly-returned limp, but he adjusted to the rifle with ease.

"Come here," Tano urged, winding an arm around Kallus' waist and taking some of his weight. When he looked at her with surprise, she grinned. "I didn't want to watch you shuffle around the base again. Let me help and then maybe you'll be able to walk without a limp someday."

"I have the strangest feeling that you won't let me walk anywhere otherwise," Kallus retorted sarcastically, but he didn't fight the support.

Tano - no, she was Ahsoka now, and that thought wasn't as strange as Kallus would have expected it to be - smiled. "Let's go, then."

Kallus looked over his room, his gaze lingering on the meteor for half a second, then turned back to Ahsoka. "Yes, let's."

The rest of the Ghost crew was waiting to celebrate, just as Ahsoka had said. They all looked pleased to see him, even Bridger and Wren, whom Kallus had thought were still wary of him. Kanan passed him some sort of bubbly drink, and even Chopper didn't seem as insulting as usual. Zeb offered him a grin that only widened when he noticed the bo-rifle still slung across his back.

"I've talked to Sato," Syndulla told him without preamble. "We both think you'd probably be the most help to the rebellion if you worked with the intelligence network."

"That means working with me," Ahsoka put in.

"But, if you ever want to run a mission with us, you're welcome to do so," Syndulla stated. She held out a comlink, which Kallus took after a moment. "Spectre Seven."

Kallus blinked at her and looked around at the rest of the ship. No one was complaining about Syndulla's - _Hera's_ \- pronouncement. On the contrary, they all looked happy, even Bridger.

"Thank you," Kallus said, his throat suddenly thick. He tightened his grip on the comlink. "Thank you."

Hera smiled, putting a hand on Kallus' shoulder and squeezing gently. "You're welcome."

**Author's Note:**

> My writing tumblr is [here](http://winterskywrites.tumblr.com/), if you're interested.


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